And we are seriously counting down! So much uncertainty around the organisation of the 2013 Rome Marathon with the election of the new Pope running at the same time. The Pope election seems to have complicated the lives of Rome Marathon Organisers from a logistics perpective; from considering cancelling the event to altering the route to late afternoon start (who knows what’s still to come). Let’s hope it won’t be a replay of the New York marathon, getting everyone there and only then tell them the marathon is cancelled. For now the marathon has been confirmed for the Sunday 17 March 2013! Start time TBC…

What I was not counting on is getting sick 10 days before my big race :-(. The uncertainty of not knowing if I will be well enough to run is driving me nuts! All the hard work, months of training, planning the trip and then to be faced with the option of not running…just heartbreaking! Let’s just hope by Friday I will feel my old self again. My taper has been impacted and there is absolutely nothing that I can do about it at this stage except be patient – not an easy task for a runner; but I have been through a couple of these and do get that sometimes LESS is MORE.

Other than that I am super excited about participating in my first international marathon. The Rome Marathon organisers put in huge effort to create the right excitement and vibe, people from all over the world will be participating. It is truly a case of “The World Meets in Rome on 17 March 2013” – 82 Nations at the start of the Rome Marathon (14,183 runners); 16 South Africans; oldest runner 84; only 17,5% of the field women! Add to this thousands of pilgrims to see the new Pope…. E-P-I-C!

This is a very exciting time in my life. I feel blessed with health and strenght to do what makes me happy. No doubt the next few months ask for HARD work, COMMITMENT; SACRAFICES will have to be made. There is no easy way around training for Comrades. Guess what…I don’t need “easy” anymore. Just need “possible”, the rest is up to me. It is all part of my journey…it is what makes My Million Miles!

93 days to Comrades!

My training is on track. Damn, I never felt as confident in myself as right now!! January (195km) and February (165km) training went amazingly well – now for the real hard work in March and April; 2 standard marathons (Rome and Paris Marathons) and an ultra marathon (still to decide which one). What more can I ask for? I means seriously…an opportunity to run in Rome and Paris? Just thinking about how far I have come gives me goose bumps; thinking about where I want to be keeps me going. I feel like Martin Luther King “I have a dream” 🙂